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Republic of Ireland

In 2014, the government was forced to backtrack on water charges by the sheer numbers who came out on street protests. But they are playing a longer game and are not giving up on their wider plans to make us pay for - and eventually privatise – water.

The bible story of Christmas tells of the parents of Jesus searching for accommodation and finding that there is no room at the inn. What an appropriate parable for modern day Ireland in the dying days of 2014.

This government's endorsement of water charges today and their clear attempt to force private tenants to pay up against their will by changing the law on deposits raises serious questions about the nature of our so called democracy. In such a situation, people have every right to engage in peaceful mass civil disobedience. That is why we say: Make December 10th the day you have your say on why we must scrap water charges.

Relatives of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation have thanked all the Dublin City councillors, including those from the People Before Profit Alliance, who rejected the proposal by Dublin City Management to transfer council property in Moore Street to Chartered Lands Limited.

Please see attached the letters sent on their behalf by their legal advisor.

Contrary to what this government would have people think, Ireland does indeed have an exemption from domestic water metering and charging as defined in the EU Water Framework Directive (Article 9.4). This was brokered by the Irish government back in 2000, as a result of the massive and successful resistance throughout the 1990s to the attempt then to impose water charges, forcing the government of the day into a full retreat.

Government plan to collect water charges from private tenants through private landlords will worsen already disastrous housing crisis

In a statement, Richard Boyd Barrett has called on the government to hold an emergency debate on housing and homelessness in the Dail this week, following the tragic discovery this morning of a dead homeless man in a doorway on Molesworth St, opposite the Dail.

Tens of thousands have marched but the government is not listening. They have
given some concessions but once there is any water charge, it can always be
increased in future.
This government never got a mandate for its policies. The Labour Party was
elected on a promise to oppose water charges. So where is the democracy in all
of this?

Tens of thousands have marched but the government is not listening. They have
given some concessions but once there is any water charge, it can always be
increased in future.
This government never got a mandate for its policies. The Labour Party was
elected on a promise to oppose water charges. So where is the democracy in all
of this?